Now Playing On Youtube- How to Renovate a Chateau (Without Killing Your Partner)

    Started about a year ago, at the height of the global pandemic, the series How To Renovate A Chateau, has recently become a favourite of mine. There are, at the moment, many DIY chateau reno channels and programs, but although I've checked out a number of them, this is by far the best. It follows a couple (and their two children) as they do exactly what the title suggests; renovate a derelict chateau and turn it into a B&B. The difference with this one is that one of the owners is a former film-maker, and it shows in the clever and often humorous segments which range from true DIY with instructions for repair and construction projects, to tongue-in-cheek French lessons on everyday situations with one of their French handymen. There is a lot of banter and, despite the inherently performative aspect, a sense of genuine warmth that I find lacking in many similar and perhaps more pretentious vlogs. As there is rarely an episode which does not make me laugh, I suspect that they've discovered that the real secret to getting on with any renovation project without killing your partner, is to keep your sense of humor.